2020 Democrat Bennet releases comprehensive government reform plan

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) on Thursday released a series of sweeping government reform proposals, including a constitutional amendment to institute a lifetime ban on Congress members from becoming lobbyists, a ban on political gerrymandering and ranked choice voting.

According to Politico, the longshot presidential candidate’s proposals also include a number of coveted Democratic reforms, including automatic voter registration, statehood for the District of Columbia and more transparency around PAC spending and fundraising.

The outlet noted that Bennet’s plans include a number of proposals already favored by his fellow Democratic contenders. But Bennet told the outlet that he aims to make such proposals the center of his campaign in a bid to differentiate himself from a crowded field.{mosads}

“…[S]o much of what we want to get done, from climate to health care to changing the tax code, is going to require us to reform the way this democracy works,” Bennet told Politico.

One of Bennet’s proposals, a lifetime ban on members of Congress from becoming lobbyists, is an idea that previously led to an unlikely team up between Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), with whom Bennet offered to collaborate on legislation. Bennet first rose to national prominence following a fiery floor speech in which he denounced Cruz’s “crocodile tears.”

“There’s not an alternative mechanism for us to resolve our disputes and move the country ahead,” Bennet said. “If we need to clean it up the way Teddy Roosevelt cleaned it up when he became president, before we can do a lot of this work, that’s something we need to do.”

Bennet said the proposals were partly borne of his frustration during his time in the Senate, working on legislation such as the “Gang of 8” immigration bill which passed the Senate but was never given a vote in the then GOP-controlled House.

“I don’t want to be here 10 years from now, we wasted another decade of the American people’s time, and that’s why I’m running for president,” he added.